Rocker centering structure



w arch 10, 1936.

w. H. MEYER ET AL 2,033,? ROCKER CENTERING STRUCTURE Filed April 27 1931int en far- Patented Mar. 10, 1936 UNITED STATES ROCKER CENTERINGSTRUCTURE William H. Meyer, St. Louis, Mo., and Einar G.

Hallquist, Edwardsville, 111., assignors to General Steel CastingsCorporation, Granite City, 111., a corporation of Delaware ApplicationApril 27, 1931, Serial No. 533,268

8 Claims.

The invention relates to railway rolling stock and consists in a novelrocker centering device, and associated structure, whereby the trucksupports the vehicle body.

' The invention may be used on a locomotive front truck, either twowheel or four wheel, in a locomotive trailer truck, particularly theradial type, or on other trucks applied to other types of railwayvehicles. In Reissue Patent 17,655 issued in the name of C. T. Westlake,April 29, 1930, there is disclosed a compound rocker pivoting structurewhereby the rocker can tilt in different directions so as to maintainproper contact between the rocker and the member supported thereon. Thepresent invention has the same general object which is attained by theprovision of a universal joint bearing between the rocker and one of themembers associated therewith.

Another object is to provide a single pivotal bearing for the rocker andsingle curved rocking face instead of two spaced pivotal bearings andtwo rocking faces.

Further objects of the present invention are to simplify the structureand to reduce its weight, maintenance, and cost and to reduce thepossibility of the parts being displaced from each other.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the presentinvention has for its object also the attainment of all the advantagespresent in the use of the rocker type bearing on railway trucks.

Further detailed objects will appear in the following description.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates the invention- Figure 1 isa top view of one rear corner of a locomotive trailer truck framecorresponding to that shown in the above mentioned Westlake ReissuePatent No. 17,655 and showing the novel centering device mountedthereon, a portion of the device being sectioned along the line l--I ofFigure 2.

Figure 2 is a vertical section and end view taken on the line 2-2 ofFigure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2 withsome parts being shown in elevation in the left hand side of the figure.

The truck frame illustrated in the drawing includes a side member 50 anda rear transom the juncture of these frame elements being formed toprovide a pocket 52 which mounts the inclined rocker seatmember 53.Rocker 54 rests on the latter with its upper end 55 bifurcated andpivoted to the block 56 by a transverse pin 51. The block is pivoted tothe cradle 58 (or other superimposed main frame or body structure) by apin 59 ex tending transversely of the direction of pin 51 and seated inears 6!! depending from the cradle 58.

With this structure, the rocker can be hung from the cradle therebysimplifying the assembling operation as the locomotive with the rockersattached can be lowered in place on the trailer truck. Proper contactbetween the rocker and the bearing member 53 will be provided by thepivotal movement about pin 59, (irrespective of any relativelongitudinal tilting of the truck frame and the locomotive main frame orcradle) and obviously, pin 5! permits the rocker to function in theusual manner to accommodate transverse movement of the cradle relativeto the truck.

It should be obvious that the structure illustrated is duplicated at theopposite rear corner of the truck, but those acquainted in the art willunderstand that the invention may be embodied in a single rocker locatedat the center of the truck frame. Also the invention may be embodied infour-wheel engine trucks and in other railway trucks as well as in theradial trailer truck illustrated in the above-mentioned Westlake ReissuePatent No. 17,655.

Obviously, modifications in the details and assembly of the device maybe made without departing from the spirit of the invention and theexclusive use of all such modifications as come within the scope of theclaims is contemplated.

We claim:

1. In combination, a railway truck provided with a rocker seat memberhaving inclined rocker supporting surfaces, a rocker having cylindricalsurface contact with said member, a load carrier, and a supportingelement pivoted thereto about an axis parallel to the plane of movementof said rocker, said element being mounted on said rocker and having apivotal connection therewith about an axis which extends transversely ofthe plane of rocker movement and holds said element and rocker againstrelative movement in other planes.

2. In a railway truck rocker centering structure, a rocker memberarranged to rock on a truck member, an element pivoted on the upperportion of said rocker member to swing in one direction about a fixedaxis on said rocker member, and a rider element pivoted on said elementto swing in a transverse direction about a fixed axis on saidfirst-mentioned element.

3. In a railway truck centering device, a rocker member having anarcuate lower bearing surface, whereby said rocker will rock in oneplane, and a member carried by said rocker and having a portion providedwith a bearing for pivoting a load supporting journal about an axisextending parallel with said plane.

4. In a railway truck centering device, a supporting bearing withoppositely inclined surfaces, a rocker having an arcuate lower portionresting on said bearing and having a substantially upright portion, anelement pivoted on said upright portion, and a member carried by saidelement for supporting the rocker load, there being a pivotal connectionbetween said element and member extending parallel with the plane ofmovement of said rocker.

5. In combination, a railway truck frame member, a plurality of truckcentering devices thereon, a truck supported load member, each of saiddevices including a rocker element having an arcuate engagement with oneof said members and a pair of pivot devices with fixed axes disposedtransversely of each other and forming a universal joint engagement withthe other of said members.

6. In a railway truck centering device, a seat, a rocker rocking thereonand having transversely spaced upstanding ears at its upper end, amember having 2. depending eye fitting between said ears, a pinextending through said eye and ears and pivotally supporting said memberon the latter, a device having depending legs straddling said member,and a pin extending through said member and legs above the level of saidfirstmentioned pin and transversely thereof and pivotally supportingsaid device on said member and arranged to carry the truck load fromsaid device to said member.

7. A railway rocker centering structure mounted between a load elementand a truck element and comprising a rocker having a rocking surface atone end, a pivot pin in the other end of said rocker, a bearing havingan inclined surface for engagement with the rocking surface of saidrocker, and a member connected to said pivot pin, there being a pivotalconnection between said member and one of said elements providingpivotal movement in a plane transversely of the pivotal movement betweensaid member and said rocker.

8. A combination as specified in claim 1 in which the portion of theelement pivotally connected to the rocker is received in a recess in therocker.

WILLIAM H. MEYER. EINAR G. HALLQUIST.

